Dave Riggert – Page 78 – St. Joseph Post Archive

Short-handed K-State loses at home by 20 to Texas

Posted on January 2, 2019

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kace Febres scored 23 points and Texas Longhorns won its Big 12 Conference opener for the 15th time in 23 seasons, picking up a 67-47 win over short-handed Kansas State on Wednesday night.

The Longhorns won for the fourth time in their last five games. Kansas State’s Kamau Stokes, who averages 11.1 points per game, reinjured the ankle that sidelined him for much of last season during a morning shooting session and did not dress for the game. The Wildcats were already without Dean Wade, who is recovering for a foot injury.

Febres hit 8 of 10 shots from the field, including 7 of 9 from 3-point range. Kerwin Roach II had 10 points in the winning effort.

The Wildcats (10-3) have struggled offensively, averaging 67 points per game coming into conference play, and losing Stokes further hampered their ability to score. Makol Mawien had 12 points and was the lone scorer to reach double figures.

It was a good night for Texas from the 3-point line, shooting 64 percent and going 14-27, with five of those coming in the final five minutes.

Texas used a 33-12 run to end the game after trailing by as many as five in the second half.

With 10 minutes to play, Febres hit back-to-back three’s to give Texas a 40-35 lead and the Longhorns never trailed again.

The Wildcats used a 14-4 run to end the first half and start the second to take a two-point lead with 13 minutes left in the game.

Midway through the first half, Texas switched to a zone defense that stifled the Wildcats. K-State only went to the free throw line once while Texas shot three free throws in the first half.

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State will need to rely on their bench play much more to carry the through this stretch without Wade and Stokes.

Texas picked up a huge road win to start conference play. If they can shoot the ball that well most of the season they will be in great shape.

UP NEXT

K-State will take on No. 11 Texas Tech on Saturday in Lubbock.

Texas hosts West Virginia at 8 p.m. Saturday.

— Associated Press —

No. 24 Nebraska falls at Maryland 74-72

Posted on January 2, 2019

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Nebraska’s final attempt to score had gone awry, and as the buzzer sounded, Maryland’s players rushed to the middle of the court to celebrate the team’s most significant victory of the season.

“We beat a really good team. We need that for a confidence builder,” coach Mark Turgeon said after the Terrapins used a late push to get past No. 24 Nebraska 74-72 on Wednesday night.

Bruno Fernando had 18 points and 17 rebounds, Anthony Cowan Jr. scored 19 points and freshman Jalen Smith accounted for Maryland’s final seven points to finish with 15, including a tiebreaking layup with 3.8 seconds left.

The Terrapins (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) had previously lost to Virginia, at Purdue and at home against Seton Hall. Turgeon rarely misses a chance to point out that this is “fifth-youngest team in the country,” but he also knows that isn’t an excuse for losing.

“Our guys are doing great,” Turgeon said. “We’re getting better. I’m just glad we won.”

Maryland trailed 71-70 before Smith made a follow-shot off a 3-point try by Cowan with 28 seconds left. After James Palmer converted 1 of 2 free throws for Nebraska, Smith drove the middle of the lane for his decisive layup.

Following a timeout, Nebraska (11-3, 1-2) tried to work the ball up the court before Ricky Lindo Jr. knocked away a pass under the basket to seal it.

“It was extremely encouraging for all of us, just to see how far we’ve come,” Fernando said. “Wins like that mean a lot to us, to the coaches, to everybody at the whole University of Maryland.”

Palmer scored 26 points and Glynn Watson Jr. added 12 for the Cornhuskers, whose four-game winning streak ended.

Nebraska coach Tim Miles lamented his team’s poor free-throw shooting (15 for 23), lack of rebounding (Maryland dominated 38-28) and a defense that allowed the Terps to hit eight 3-pointers.

“You can’t give them eight 3s and not rebound. Pick one that you want to be awful at,” Miles said.

It was a tough loss to take, as was an earlier seven-point setback at Minnesota, but Miles accepted it as life in the Big Ten.

“You’ve got to look at it from a global, big-picture perspective and say, `This is just the way it’s going be,” he said.

The final minutes went back and forth, with neither team able to take charge.

After a three-point play by Smith put Maryland ahead 70-67 with 2:42 left, Watson made two free throws and Palmer turned a steal into a dunk for a 71-70 lead with 2:13 remaining.

That would be the last time the Huskers were in front.

“You hear the celebration in the opposing locker room, and it’s disappointing because you probably played well enough to win but you just didn’t do enough little things,” Miles said.

The game was tied early in the second half before Maryland missed eight straight shots over a four-minute span while falling behind 47-39.

Fernando ended the drought with a layup and made another before Aaron Wiggins and Cowan drilled 3-pointers to cap a 10-2 run that tied it at 49 with 12 minutes left.

Neither team led by more than four points the rest of the way.

SLOW START

Smith struggled in the first half, scoring only three points in nine minutes.

“He wasn’t very good early, was he?” Turgeon said. “I was chewing on him, the assistants were chewing on him, and he responded.”

DEFENSE RULES

The Cornhuskers limited Maryland to 28-for-60 shooting. It was the 38th time in 39 games Nebraska’s opponent failed to exceed 50 percent, dating to last season. Minnesota topped 50 percent on Dec. 5 in an 85-78 victory.

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: Playing on the road in a loud arena, the Cornhuskers gave a tough Maryland team everything it could handle. But Nebraska needs to be more aggressive on the boards and against the Terps got only three players to the foul line.

Maryland: The Terrapins must build on this victory rather than merely bask in it. “We’re going to enjoy this one and move on,” Fernando said.

UP NEXT

Nebraska faces Iowa on the road Sunday.

Maryland travels to Rutgers on Saturday. The Terps are 6-0 against the Scarlet Knights since joining the Big Ten in 2014.

— Associated Press —

Kansas State women get routed by No. 25 Iowa State

Posted on January 2, 2019

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Bridget Carleton scored 16 of her 26 points in the first half to lead No. 25 Iowa State in a 96-58 rout of Kansas State on Wednesday night in a Big 12 Conference opener.

Iowa State (11-2) won its fifth straight game and improves to 10-0 at home. Kansas State (9-4) has lost two of its last four games, and seven straight conference openers. Carleton added nine rebounds and seven assists, and surpassed Alison Lacey (1,620) for ninth in career scoring.

Kristin Scott had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Cyclones, who had five in double-figure scoring for the third time this season. Ines Nezerwa and Ashley Joens added 14 points apiece, and Alexa Middleton had 11.

Kayla Goth had 17 points and 10 assists to lead Kansas State. Jasauen Beard scored 12 points and Peyton Williams chipped in with six points and 11 rebounds.

The game was tied at 26 midway through the second quarter before Iowa State closed on a 20-8 run for a 46-34 halftime advantage. The Cyclones opened the third with a 15-7 surge, led 61-41 with 2:28 remaining and opened the fourth quarter with a 15-0 run.

— Associated Press —

Griffons fall at home to Illinois Springfield 89-81

Posted on December 30, 2018

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western men’s basketball team (6-7) fell to Illinois Springfield (8-3) in the team’s final non-conference game of the season on Sunday afternoon. The Griffons cut the deficit to just three points with 2:13 remaining, but fell to the Prairie Stars by a final score of 89-81.

NOTABLES

The Prairie Stars held a 44-43 after a back-and-forth first half. There were 11 lead changes and seven ties before halftime.
Lavon Hightower and Bryan Hudson paced the Griffons in the first half, combining for 28 first-half points.
Tyrell Carroll gave Missouri Western its only lead of the second half with a three-pointer with 17:28 to play.
Illinois Springfield shot 37 free throws in the win, the most allowed by the Griffons all season.
The Prairie Stars won the turnover battle, forcing 10 more turnovers than the Griffons.
The Griffons finish 6-5 in non-conference play this season.

LEADERS

Lavon Hightower earned a double-double with 22 points and a game-high 11 boards.
Tyrell Carroll scored 21 points, going 3-4 from distance.
Bryan Hudson added 15 points and four assists.

UP NEXT

Missouri Western will travel to Central Oklahoma (7-4, 0-2 MIAA) on Jan. 3.
Both teams will be in search of their first MIAA win this season.

— MWSU Athletics —

Chiefs hammer Raiders to clinch AFC West, No. 1 seed

Posted on December 30, 2018

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes stalked Chiefs wide receiver Damarcus Robinson on the sideline as chants of “MVP” echoed throughout Arrowhead Stadium, trying to track down a football that would serve as a keepsake not only of this night but of this season.

The first-year starter had just thrown an 89-yard scoring strike to Robinson, the 50th time one of his passes ended up in the end zone. It also gave Mahomes more than 5,000 yards passing, not to mention put a dagger in Oakland and clinched the AFC West title and No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

“They’re special,” Mahomes said after securing that memento, and after Kansas City had wrapped up a 35-3 whitewash of the Raiders on Sunday. “To do those things in this league, that doesn’t happen.”

Not very often anyway.

Mahomes finished with 281 yards passing, the highlights the strike to Robinson and a 67-yard TD pass to Tyreek Hill. That gave him 5,097 yards and 50 touchdown passes, and allowed Mahomes to join Peyton Manning as the only QBs to hit 5,000 and 50 in the same season.

“This team, we love each other. We root for each other. And that’s why we’ve had so much success,” said Mahomes, who already had shattered just about every franchise passing record.

Hill finished with five catches for 101 yards, becoming the Chiefs’ single-season leader for yards receiving with 1,479, while adding a fourth-quarter touchdown run. Damien Williams added 51 yards and a score on the ground as the Chiefs (12-4) beat the Raiders for the eighth time in nine games.

The decisive win came after Kansas City squandered a chance to clinch the division with a fourth-quarter collapse against the Chargers and again in a shootout loss last weekend in Seattle.

“This was a tricky game,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “We felt like we let off the accelerator there lately and we didn’t take advantage of opportunities.”

No problem with that on Sunday.

Derek Carr had his league-leading streak of 332 passes without an interception snapped when the Chiefs’ Daniel Sorensen returned a pick for a touchdown in the first quarter. Carr threw another pick and lost a fumble as Oakland (4-12) turned the ball over on its first four possessions.

He finished 23 of 32 for 184 yards, and Doug Martin ran for 100 yards but also lost a fumble, as the Raiders headed into an offseason of uncertainty surrounding where they will play next season.

“Obviously, we got a lot a work to do,” said Raiders coach Jon Gruden, who wrapped up his first season back with the franchise. “I know today was not a good note, but it’s a great group of guys who laid quite a foundation and I think we can build on that. I’m excited about that.”

The Chiefs eliminated any drama in the first 20 minutes.

Mahomes started the scoring barrage when he threw a perfect post pass to Hill, who waltzed into the end zone for his long touchdown reception. And a few minutes later, Sorensen stepped in front of tight end Jared Cook — who had inexplicably stopped his route — for a 54-yard pick-6.

The Chiefs defense kept causing turnovers, and Williams capped another effortless drive with a short touchdown run, giving Kansas City a comfortable 21-0 lead late in the first half.

“This was a tricky game,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, “and the guys took care of business.”

The league’s highest-scoring offense continued its onslaught after the break.

Mahomes delivered the clincher when he floated a pass deep downfield to Robinson, who ran out of the grasp of his would-be tackler. Robinson was so far ahead of the defense that he turned around at the 15-yard line and backpedaled into the end zone — getting a taunting call as his reward.

Not that it mattered for the Chiefs, who were already celebrating their postseason bye and what they hope is a Super Bowl road through Arrowhead Stadium. Hill merely added to the party when he added his rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

“We’re all trying to reach a goal,” Hill said, “and that’s the Super Bowl. Head down, and we’re all focused, man. Like I said, it feels great, but right now, I just want to win the Super Bowl. We just want to win the Super Bowl.”

KELCE’S CATCHES

The Chiefs’ Travis Kelce had five catches for 62 yards, giving him 1,336 yards this season. That broke the NFL record for tight ends set by the Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski in 2011, only for the 49ers’ George Kittle to pass him a few minutes later. “The individual accolades in this game alone, I think, are a bit overrated,” Kelce said. “You’ve got 11 guys out there trying to push for one goal and sure enough, we achieved that as a team.”

MORE RECORDS

Mahomes was 14 of 24, giving him a franchise-record 383 completions this season. He began the day tied with Trent Green with 369. … Reid broke a tie with former Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer for seventh on the NFL’s career wins list with his 206th.

INJURIES

Raiders: DT Maurice Hurst was inactive after dealing with an ankle issue all month. He finished with four sacks, matching the lowest total to lead the Raiders since sacks became a stat in 1982.

Chiefs: SS Eric Berry (heel), WR Sammy Watkins (foot) and RB Spencer Ware (hamstring) were among the inactives. … LB Reggie Ragland left after his interception with a hip injury. FS Jordan Lucas (neck) and DT Derrick Nnadi (concussion) also left the game.

UP NEXT

Raiders: Draft prep begins with Oakland holding three first-round selections.

Chiefs: A postseason bye and divisional-round game at home await.

— Associated Press —

No. 2 Bearcats beat Simpson by 50

Posted on December 30, 2018

MARYVILLE, Missouri – The No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men’s basketball team put a perfect wrap on its non-conference slate with a 108-58 triumph over Simpson College on Sunday at Bearcat Arena.

Northwest (12-0) shot 63.2 percent from the field, including 48.0 percent from three-point range. Northwest also poured in 60 points in the paint against the Storm. Northwest forced Simpson into 21 turnovers, while the Bearcats had only four turnovers in the matchup.

Bearcat sophomore Ryan Hawkins stuffed the stat sheet with a career-high 29 points, eight rebounds, six steals and a blocked shot. Hawkins went 11-of-16 from the field and was 5-of-8 from three-point range.

Northwest redshirt freshman Trevor Hudgins notched his third double-double on the season with 21 points and 10 assists.

The Bearcats used a 15-0 run to turn a 3-3 tie into an 18-3 advantage and the score never went below double figures the rest of the way.

Northwest will return to MIAA play this week with road contests at Northeastern State on Thursday and Central Oklahoma on Saturday.

NOTES: Freshman Diego Bernard reached double figures for the eighth straight game with a career-high 17 points … Northwest won its 16th straight game in December … Northwest had the rebounding edge in its 12th game this season with a 33-25 advantage.

Western women defeat Adams State for third straight win

Posted on December 30, 2018

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western Women’s Basketball (6-5) won its final non-conference game of the season over Adams State (1-8) by 19 points on Sunday. The Griffons led wire to wire to earn their third-straight victory.

NOTABLES

The Griffons were up by just two points at the end of the first period. The Grizzlies shot 67 percent from the field in the quarter, but the Griffons forced 10 turnovers to keep the 17-15 lead.
Turnovers continued to be the story of the first half, as the Griffons won the turnover battle 13-2 going into halftime
Melia Richardson played for the first time since Nov. 20, leading four Griffons in double figures with 16 points
Missouri Western outscored Adams State 35-25 in the second half
The Grizzlies managed to out-rebound the Griffons 32-23 in the loss
Five of the Griffons’ six wins have been by double digits

LEADERS

Richardson led all players in scoring in her return from injury. Richardson finished with 16 points, shooting 5-7 from the field and 6-7 from the free-throw line.
Roenfeldt was the Griffons’ second-leading scorer with 13 points
Davies finished with 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds
Atkins added 10 points on 50 percent shooting

UP NEXT

The Griffons will travel to Central Oklahoma (10-1, 1-1 MIAA) on Jan. 3
The Bronchos defeated Southern Nazarene 74-65 in their last game.

— MWSU Athletics —

Mizzou women roll past Arkansas State

Posted on December 30, 2018December 30, 2018

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball closed nonconference action with a 70-50 victory over Arkansas State on Sunday at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers were paced by senior guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.), who reached 20 points for the fifth time this season and the 38^th time in her career with 20 points while sinking a career-high 16-of-18 shots from the free throw line.

After stepping away from the game over the summer, senior forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) returned to the court for the first time this season and contributed four points, two rebounds and two steals in 11 minutes off the bench. Porter’s four points gave her 1,000 on her career as she became the 36^th member of Mizzou’s 1,000-point club.

TURNING POINT

Mizzou outscored the Red Wolves, 18-8, in the third quarter to extend its lead from three points and halftime to 13 points heading into the final quarter. The Tigers ended the third period on an 11-2 run, led by two three-pointers in the run from redshirt senior guard Lauren Aldridge (Marshfield, Mo.).

TOP TIGERS

Cunningham scored 20 points to lead Mizzou in scoring for the 10^th time this season and the fourth time in Mizzou’s last five contests. Cunningham set career highs in free throws made and attempted, as she was 16-for-18 from the charity stripe. Cunningham also grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists in the game.
Junior guard Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.) scored nine points, grabbed 10 rebounds and set a career-high in blocks with five. Smith’s 10 rebounds marked the seventh time she has reached 10 boards.
Making her third consecutive start, junior guard Jordan Roundtree (St. Louis, Mo.) had nine points and six rebounds.

NOTES

Cunningham’s 16 made free throws are the most made by a Tiger since Kerensa Barr made 17 vs. Colorado on Jan. 24, 1987.
As a team, Mizzou shot a season-high 88.5 percent from the free throw as the Tigers made 23-for-26 from the charity stripe.
With four points, Porter became the 36^th member of Mizzou’s 1,000-point club and the first since Cunningham reached the plateau last season.

UP NEXT

Mizzou will now transition to the conference play as the Tigers host Ole Miss on Thursday, Jan. 3 at Mizzou Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

Missouri State sets records in blowout over William Woods

Posted on December 30, 2018

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Szymon Wojcik led seven players in double-digit scoring with 16 points and Missouri State set a school scoring record routing NAIA-member William Woods 110-56 on Sunday.

The Bears also set a school record with 17 3-pointers in 38 attempts (44.7 percent). By comparison, the Bears were 17 of 21 from the foul line.

Missouri State is undefeated at JQH Arena to start this season.

Josh Webster’s 3-pointer tied it at 8-all and that sparked a 19-0 run to put Missouri State (6-7) firmly in control. Ross Owens scored 15 points with six rebounds, Tulio Da Silva, Ryan Kreklow and Kabir Mohammed each scored 13, Jarred Dixon 11 and Jared Ridder 10. The Bears outrebounded the Owls 56-34.

David Johnson Jr. scored 19 and Aaron Brookins added 17 for the Owls.

— Associated Press —

Missouri ends losing streak to Illinois, wins 79-63

Posted on December 23, 2018

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri basketball coach Cuonzo Martin is from Illinois, and he has stocked his roster with five scholarship players from his home state. They will enjoy their trips home for Christmas a little more after the Tigers beat Illinois 79-63 Saturday night.

Sophomore forward Jeremiah Tilmon and freshman guard Javon Pickett, who both signed letters of intent with Illinois out of high school before switching their allegiance to Missouri, had big nights. Tilmon scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Pickett added 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field. Jordan Geist led the Tigers with 20 points and seven assists.

Missouri (8-3) ended a five-game losing streak to Illinois (4-8) in the annual Braggin’ Rights rivalry. Martin had spent the previous week downplaying the importance of the game, but he said afterward he considers Illinois to be Missouri’s biggest basketball rival. He said last year’s loss to the Illini caused him to have a “miserable Christmas.”

“I’ve always watched this game from afar, and now to be a part of it, it’s a tremendous atmosphere,” said Martin, who is in his second year coaching Missouri. “It’s bigger than just another game.”

Trent Frazier led the Illini with 28 points, and Giorgi Bezhanishvili and Aaron Jordan added 10 points each.

Boos rained on Tilmon and Pickett from the Illinois side of the arena, but the loudest boos were directed at Missouri’s Mark Smith, who played for the Illini last year before transferring. Smith scored just five points on 2-of-8 shooting.

“I heard them, for sure,” Tilmon said of the boos.

Geist and Frazier carried their teams in the first half. Frazier made 5 of 6 shots from 3-point range and had 17 points at halftime. Geist hit 3-pointers on three straight possessions and drew two charges to help the Tigers grab a 39-35 halftime lead.

Frazier put Illinois in front for the first time since the first half when he drove to the left block and kissed a shot off the glass with 7:43 left in the game. But Tilmon put Missouri right back in the lead at 58-56 with a dunk and free throw on the next possession and the Tigers pulled away.

“Give Missouri credit, they made just about every play in those last seven minutes,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said.

FEISTY GEIST

Since arriving at Missouri two years ago as a lightly regarded junior college transfer, Geist earned a reputation as a feisty player who gets under the skin of opponents. That side was evident early, when he and Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu were both hit with technical fouls after they got into a dispute.

The difference between his sophomore and senior years is that Geist is now far more than an agitator. He is Missouri’s leading scorer at 13.4 points per game.

“Geist was the difference for them,” Underwood said. “That’s a young man who played seven minutes and had four turnovers last year.”

Geist, a point guard, committed only two turnovers against the Illini’s pressure defense.

TALE OF TWO HALVES

After missing just one 3-point attempt in the first half, Frazier cooled off in the second half, making just 1 of 7 from 3-point range. He also missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw opportunity while Missouri went on its late-game run. The Illini made just 7 of 14 free throws as a team.

“I was getting a little fatigued,” Frazier said. “In the second half, they made an adjustment trying to keep the ball out of my hands. I’ve got to be better than that. Tired is no excuse for me.”

BIG PICTURE

Illinois: The Illini are off to their worst start since the 1974-75 season, when they also started 4-8 on their way to an 8-18 mark in Gene Bartow’s only season as coach. With eight scholarship newcomers on the roster and a nonconference schedule loaded with high-major opponents, the rough start hasn’t been totally unexpected.

Missouri: Hopes shrank for the Tigers when do-it-all sophomore forward Jontay Porter suffered a season-ending knee injury in an October scrimmage. After starting the season 3-3, they have won five straight — including victories over UCF, Xavier and now Illinois — raising the possibility that this won’t be the rebuilding season many expected.

UP NEXT

Illinois: The Illini return to action Saturday with a home game against Florida Atlantic.

Missouri: The Tigers will complete their nonconference schedule with Saturday’s home game against Morehead State.

— Associated Press —